Violent typhoon heads for Japan

Kagoshima, Sept. 5: An extremely powerful typhoon was barrelling towards southwestern Japan on Saturday as authorities issued evacuation advisories to thousands of residents, warning of unprecedented violent winds, heavy rain and high waves.

Haishen churned near Okinawa in southern Japan on Saturday afternoon and was expected to approach Kyushu late Sunday or early Monday, the meteorological agency said.

The storm is expected to affect Japan from late Saturday, with winds of up to 290 kilometres per hour (180 miles per hour), making it a “violent” storm — the top level on the country’s classification scale.

“There is a danger of record winds, heavy rain, high waves and storm surge,” Yoshihisa Nakamoto, an agency officer, told a news conference, calling for an early evacuation and “maximum caution.”Yuhei Takamura, a government official, said, “A disaster will occur. There is almost no doubt about it.”About 4,600 people in Tarumizu, Kagoshima, were urged to evacuate swiftly, while authorities in other areas of Kyushu were warning their residents to prepare.

Satoshi Sugimoto, another agency official, said the latest typhoon could generate high waves as powerful as a tsunami.

“It’s going to be the last chance to flee” when the agency formally issues the nation's highest storm warning, Sugimoto told reporters.

Authorities on Minamidaitojima instructed about 1,300 residents to evacuate as the storm was expected to hit the remote island, east of Okinawa. —